On 2 February residents of Al-Sbeina camp issued an urgent appeal, through the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, for the siege on their camp to be lifted. The siege was imposed by the Syrian army and is preventing the entry of medicine, food and materials for heating.

– Residents of Al-Nairab camp complained that they were being mistreated by some elements of the Free Syrian Army, especially those at the Al-Baraad checkpoint.

– On 3 February a European parliamentary delegation to Lebanon visited Al-Kafah camp in Ain Al-Helwa, Shatila camp and Al-Jaleel camp, to observe the conditions of the Palestinian families who migrated from Syria. The delegation also met the Lebanese president Michel Sulaiman and foreign minister Adnan Mansour, to discuss ways Lebanon could make a greater effort to provide relief for the displaced. In addition, the delegation met the EU ambassador in Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst to discuss how the EU might play an effective role in helping displaced refugees in Syria.

– The visit by the European parliamentary delegation to Lebanon was organized by the Palestine Return Centre in London and the Council for European-Palestinian relations, with the local partnership of the Thabet Organisation for the Right of Return and the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria.

– The Action Group reported on 4 February that the Syrian regime army hit Al-Hol Palestinian refugee camp with heavy artillery. Al-Hol is in the town of Al-Hasaka in North-East Syria.

– On 5 February Syrian rocket launchers hit the Hamas building in Yarmouk camp.

– A huge fire broke out on one of the buildings in Yarmouk camp, and spread to the surrounding buildings due to the inavailability of extinguishing equipment.

There were 18 Palestinian casualties in Syria this week:

– Two bodies were found on 2 February on the way to Al-Ghuzlaniyya in the outskirts of Damascus

– Four Palestinians were killed on 3 February, three in Yarmouk camp and one in Adra

– One Palestinian was killed on 5 February in Yarmouk camp

– 11 were killed on 6 February, 8 in Yarmouk camp, 2 in Hay Jober in Damascus and 1 in Hama

– A Palestinian woman was killed on 7 February in Yarmouk camp

Shelling

– On 2 February Yarmouk and Al-Hassaniyya camps suffered shelling.

– On 3 February there was renewed shelling of Yarmouk camp. Al-Mzeereeb gathering was also shelled, where a UNRWA school was targeted.

– On 4 February shelling of Yarmouk camp continued, and Al-Sbeina camp was targeted.

– On 5 February there was renewed shelling of Yarmouk camp, and a building belonging to Hamas was targeted.

– On 6 February Yarmouk camp suffered very heavy shelling

– On 7 February Yarmouk camp was shelled again, and Dara’a camp was hit by mortar shells.

– On 8 February Dara’a camp was shelled again

Humanitarian Situation

At the time of writing (8 February) the suffocating siege imposed by Syrian security forces on Yarmouk, Al-Hassaniyya and Al-Sbaina camps was still in place, with catastrophic humanitarian consequences. The bread bakeries in these camps have stopped functioning due to a lack of flour and fuel. The chemists have also stopped functioning as medicines have run out. All the other Palestinian camps in Syria are also suffering from a lack of bread, fuel and electricity and the rise in price of basic goods. The Action Group has also reports that displaced Palestinian families in Abna’ Shuhada Filistin School in Adra are suffering from a severe food shortage.

Missing people

– The Action Group for Palestinians of Syria reported on 2 February that three young men were missing: Mohanad Umr Shinar and Wajdi Sa’eed Al-Shahabi, from Yarmouk Camp, and Shadi Qasim Khitab from Al-Sbeina camp. It also reported missing the female doctor Nawal Al-Khateeb from Yarmouk camp.

– On 3 February the Action Group reported missing Jamal Mohammed Abbas from Yarmouk camp.

– On 8 February the Action Group reported missing the young man Mahmoud Ali Ahmad from Jaramana camp.

Arrests

– On 3 February the Action Group reported the arrest by Syrian security forces of Mansour Oud from Dara’a camp

– On 4 February the Action Group reported the arrest by Syrian security forces of Osama Hussein Al-Sahli from Qadseya

– On 8 February the Syrian security forces arrested the following residents of Al-A’ideen camp in Homs:

1. The young man Sameh Saleh Al-Shahabi

2. Ali Mohammed Abu Rya

3. Ihab Faris

– On 8 February Syrian security forces released three Palestinians who had been held for four days. They had been arrested on the airport road in Damascus on their return from Libya.